Possibilities for Bears Rushing Attack

The Bears running game won't look exactly the same now without Khalil Herbert and here's how they make for his absence.

Rushing game momentum built by the Bears looks to be in danger of halting abruptly this week with the hip injury to Khalil Herbert.

Quarterback Justin Fields has enjoyed great success since Herbert began sharing rushing duties with David Montgomery.

"He’s a hard worker, smart," Fields said of Hebert. "When he gets in the game, he’s going to know what to do and he’s a hard runner. It’s hard to bring him down. He’s a great running back."

Montgomery was and remains the starter. 

However, Herbert provided an excellent counter to Montgomery and also for Fields because he was fast enough to draw extra attention from defenses who saw his 63-yard run against Washington and a few other breakaways.

To be sure, there are plenty of backs in the NFL faster than Herbert but he did run a 4.46. That's not Tarik Cohen speed but not bad.

The Bears began running the ball better in Week 3 after David Montgomery's injury, but ascended to an even higher level after the mini-bye when they had lost to Washington. 

Montgomery was back then but offensive coordinator Luke Getsy emphasized more Fields running plays and changes were made to formations and blocking schemes to accentuate them.

Having that extra speed on the outside in the form of Herbert is a big part of it all and the Bears need to replace that to keep running the same types of plays they ran when he was on the field.

The Bears not only lead the NFL in rushing now but according to the team the only ones to have rushed for more than their 2,017 rushing yards total through Week 10 of a season since the Super Bowl era were the 1977 Bears of Walter Payton (2,152).

Here are some options to help as Montgomery's relief so they can keep this pace until they get Herbert off injured reserve in mid-December if they hope to keep their record-setting running attack rolling.

1. RB Trestan Ebner

The rookie from Baylor hasn't played much, just 50 offensive plays and 110 special teams plays. He hasn't shown much speed, but that's relative always to blocking. He gained 46 yards on 18 carries, a 2.6-yard average and his long is 11 yards.

However, given a bigger role as relief back to Montgomery, it's entirely possible he could be that speed counter to Fields on some plays.

Ebner's combine time last February was faster than Herbert's and faster than Montgomery's. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder ran 4.43.

It would be interesting to see if the Bears can find a way to use some of that speed.

2. Velus Jones Jr.

When the Bears drafted Jones there was talk he could become their Deebo Samuel, a big, fast, strong receiver who could provide a little of everything, including lining up in the backfield or taking jet sweeps and end arounds for big yardage.

There hasn't been much evidence of this as he missed the first three weeks due to a lingering training camp hamstring injury, then the last two games in street clothes because coaches tagged him inactive.

Coach Matt Eberflus has been battered with questions about Jones being inactive on game day for the past two games. When they traded for Chase Claypool it was somewhat understandable that Jones would move down the chain a spot and could be forced to the sidelines. His inability to field punts or kickoffs well is a factor in all of this because Dante Pettis continues returning punts.

As for Jones' ability to line up in the backfield like Samuel, no one can be sure since he hasn't really done it but there is no doubt he can bring a speed element if he holds onto the ball and doesn't make mental mistakes in executing the attack. Jones ran 4.31 seconds in the 40, Samuel ran only 4.48. At the very least, he could take more end-arounds or jet sweeps. He had runs of 18 and 15 yards against Dallas, then was benched the last two weeks.

3. RB Darrynton Evans

This would take elevating a practice squad player. He has been up from the practice squad for one game, after Montgomery suffered an ankle injury. Evans is speed, and not really much else. He is 200 pounds, 5-11 and ran a 4.41 in the 40. Evans has had 16 NFL rushing attempt so it's not like he'd be an untested rookie. He's been in the league for three seasons and led the Bears in rushing in preseason with 77 yards, while averaging 4.1 yards a carry.

4. WR Chase Claypool

Imagine a 6-foot-4, 238-pound ball carrier barreling out of the I formation at a 190-pound defensive back in the open field--very frightening, for the DB. This happens every week in Tennessee Titans games but Derrick Henry is one of a kind. The Bears will see another version of this in Atlanta Sunday where their own former receiver/back Cordarrelle Patterson faces them, the man former Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub used to call "Crazy Horse." Claypool probably isn't going to line up in the backfield on anything beyond a short-yardage run or take a QB sneak under center, but he does have 4.42-second speed in the 40 to go with tremendous leg strength and drive. At worst, he could also contribute jet sweeps and end-arounds or have Fields fake to him.

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